PUTRAJAYA (April 1): A total of 17.65 million or 58.7% of the total profile of people including household members under 18 years old were successfully updated in the Padu system.

In Monday's statement, Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli said 11.55 million or 52.6% of citizens over the age of 18 have successfully registered and updated their profile in the Central Database Hub (Padu) system after registration closed on Sunday.

"I express my appreciation to all Malaysians who have taken the initiative to register with Padu," he said.

Padu system registration closed at 11.59pm on March 31, 2024.

He also thanked and congratulated the Padu system development team at the Ministry of Economy, Department of Statistics Malaysia, National Digital Department, Ministry of Communications and also the agencies involved for the successful implementation of Padu.

"High and unwavering commitment has been shown by the Padu team since registration opened on first day," he said.

Rafizi said the Ministry of Economy will next present the subsidy retargeting plan to the Cabinet this month.

"The government will announce development on the matter in the future," he said.

He said for citizens who did not successfully register and update their profiles with Padu, the available administrative data is sufficient and will be used for the government to determine individual eligibility for the purpose of retargeting subsidies.

"If there is a need, the Ministry of Economy will announce the reopening of Padu for a short period of time for registration and updating, after the government decides on the form and mechanism of targeted subsidies," he said.